Chocolate Orange Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle

I love the flavors of chocolate and orange together, especially around the holidays. It always makes me think of Terry’s chocolate oranges (YUM). I always thought chocolate and orange was a weird combination, but my dad liked the chocolate oranges. One time, I tried a slice and OH MAMA I was hooked ever since!

I was perusing Pinterest the other day and saw this recipe for Italian Mostaccioli Cookies from Marisa’s Italian Kitchen, and it inspired me to create a chocolate orange cookie of my own. Her cookies have more of a general citris flavor, so for my version, I amped up the orange by brushing on some fresh orange juice as the cookies came out of the oven.

Mostaccioli cookies were apparently originally developed as far back as 300 BC! They’ve certainly changed throughout the years. People used to make them with Mosto, or wine must, which added the sweetness that we now get from ingredients like sugar and honey. I use brown sugar and white sugar in mine, while Marisa’s recipe calls for white sugar and honey.

But then, my cookies stay pretty far from what a Mostaccioli really is. I roll mine thinner, instead of being more cake-like, and prefer just a drizzle of white chocolate instead of a full dip. I think that most Italian people would also find my lack of Limoncello disturbing! And of course, I cut mine into hearts instead of a more traditional shape. So really, my cookies are Mostaccioli inspired rather than being true Mostaccioli.

Still… they are freakin’ delicious! If you like orange and chocolate together, you’re going to love these orange chocolate cookies.

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Chocolate Orange Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle

These chocolate roll-out cookies have a strong orange flavor and flecks of chocolate throughout. They are finished with a white chocolate drizzle.

Total Time30minutes

Ingredients

2eggs

3/8 cupwhite sugar

3/8 cupbrown sugar

1/2teaspoonvanilla

1tablespoonlemon juice

1orange

2ouncesbittersweet or dark chocolatecorsely grated or chopped

1/4cupcocoa

1/4 teaspoonground cloves

1/2teaspooncinnamon

1teaspoonbaking powder

pinch of salt

1cupalmond flour

2cupswhite flour

3-4ounceswhite chocolate

1teaspooncoconut oil or vegetable oil

Instructions

Beat the eggs until smooth and pale.

Beat in the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.

Stir in by hand the zest from one orange and the grated/chopped chocolate. (Do not beat). Juice the orange and set juice aside.

Whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (everything except the white chocolate, oil, and juice). Slowly add the dry ingredients to your mixture, incorporating it a bit at a time until it has all been added to form a soft dough.

Flour your work surface generously and roll out dough to about 1/3 - 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes as desired and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, brush a bit of juice on the top of each one and allow to dry as the cookies cool completely.

Melt the white chocolate and add the oil to thin it. Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.

Recipe Notes

The white chocolate creates a nice contrast, but you can drizzle with milk, dark, or bittersweet chocolate instead if you prefer.

Here are some of my other favorite recipes featuring orange and chocolate…